Chapter 15
Cairo
I hadn't beenable to stay away.
I'd tried. Oh, gods of the ancestors, I'd tried.
Meli had made her choice—her family over me—and I'd wanted to avoid seeing it in person. But I hadn't been able to. Yesterday's interactions with the townspeople reminded me that I was a part of Eastshore, whether Meli wanted me or not. So I came.
I'd spoken to Giza this morning too; he said if a male's Mate rejected him, the Heat would cause intense pain, and most males had to retreat to solitude to deal with it.
Well, I'd had enough of solitude. I didn't want to be alone any longer. I wanted Meli, but if I couldn't have her, I wanted Eastshore.
Besides, there's no way the pain could be worse than what I was feeling now.
But…
But after the contest, after she'd lost…I'd found myself drifting closer. My Kteer wouldn't let me stay away from Meli, even if it was for the best. She was standing with her family, her back to me. And she seemed…angry?
Heat flashed through me. I felt my claws lengthening, my tusks ached to rip into whoever had hurt my Mate. But this was her family, for fuck's sake, I couldn't hurt them. So I curled my hands into fists, relishing the sensation of my claws digging into my skin, because it kept me grounded.
And I moved forward.
Maybe I was too obvious. Maybe it's fucking impossible for a seven-foot-orc to blend in at the beach. Uh, yeah, I suppose I should've thought of that. Either way, her father glanced up and saw me.
His eyes widened, and I braced myself for his condemnation.
But instead, hazel eyes, so like Meli's, studied me for a long moment. Then, he nodded, a soft smile—a sad smile, maybe?—on his lips, and I felt myself exhale. I don't know what happened, but it felt as if maybe her father didn't hate me after all.
And then I allowed myself to focus on what was being said, straining my senses.
"But darling, Eastshore is so small—" That was her mom.
I watched Meli pull herself up. Her hands were on her hips, in that sassy attitude I loved to tease her into. "And I'm okay with that!" I was proud of her for standing up for herself. "I love this town, and I love Cairo…"
She said other things after that, but I didn't hear them. My eyes had gone wide, and the pulse pounding in my ears made it impossible to hear anything.
Meli…loved me?
The warmth spreading through me wasn't as painful as the Heat, and I didn't recognize it. I mean, I didn't hate it, but I was tired of not feeling right. I only felt right when Meli was in my arms.
She's mine.
Not just my temporary girlfriend, not just my sexual partner.
Melinda O'Donnell was mine. My Mate. And I had to claim her.
She turned away from her family, and I could feel, rather than see, her tears. I didn't know what they meant, but my Kteer told me I had to fix it, to help her. It wasn't a choice, but a foregone conclusion.
I stepped toward her, and she ran smack into me.
Which might've been funny, except for the whole tears thing.
"Cairo?" she sniffed, leaning back to stare up at me as my hands went to her shoulders to steady her. "What are you doing here?"
Before I could answer—how to explain the biological imperative I was currently feeling?—she shook her head and stepped back. Stepped away from me, out of my arms.
It broke me.
"Look, Cairo, I understand. This was supposed to be temporary, and I know we're not right for one another—"
"No," I snarled. When she looked startled, I forced my Kteer under control. "No," I repeated, more calmly. "Those aren't your words, Meli. They're your family's. I can scent—I can feel the truth. Here." I slapped my palm against my chest, then curled my fingers so my claws dug into my flesh, welcoming the distracting pain. I lowered my voice. "What are your words, Meli?"
She was staring up at me with those beautiful eyes awash with tears, and I had to dig deeper into my skin to hold myself in check, to keep from pulling her to me and raging against anyone who had hurt her like this.
Even if the culprit was me.
"I want…" she began in a soft voice. "I…"
"What is it? Tell me what you want, and I'll make it happen."
"I want…Eastshore. I love it here."
Those were her words. She said she'd loved me too. I immediately nodded.
"You have Eastshore, Meli. And Eastshore has you. You've been the one to show me how much I love this place too, and it's impossible to imagine this island without your smile, your cheer. Your love."
Her family had edged closer to hear our words, but I don't think Meli noticed. Her tears had cleared, and now she swallowed. Her voice was stronger when she spoke.
"I want you, Cairo. I'm so sorry I let you think what we had was just pretend. I've liked you for a long time, and having you this past week…" She trailed off and looked away.
I felt brave enough to step toward her. I could control my Kteer, and my Mate needed me. "You mean it, Meli?" I whispered harshly. "You love me?"
A moment's hesitation, then she met my eyes once more. "I do," she breathed. "I'm sorry if I ever made you think what we had wasn't…wasn't true or wasn't good enough or whatever."
"You didn't." It had been her family. She hadn't chosen them over me! "Cupcake, what do you want? Do you want this—us to be a thing? Do you want to leave Eastshore? Do you want a new delivery van so you can go—"
"I want my business to grow, to be a success."
Fuck."It is a success—you're a success, Meli. Why do you need to grow it?"
She must've noticed her family surrounding us then because she glanced at her mother.
"No," I snapped again, stepping up so we stood toe-to-to. "I'm asking you, Meli. You. You are good enough as you are."
Unable to keep from touching her, I reached up and cupped the back of her head, pulling her toward me as I lowered mine. Our foreheads touched, and for a moment, I allowed myself to revel in the feel of her skin against mine as I breathed in her scent.
"You're good enough," I whispered again. And then, louder, in case she somehow misunderstood, "Cupcake, you don't need to expand or worry about your appearance or paint your damn nails because someone else thinks that needs to be a thing." Yes of course I noticed that little irregularity. "You are good enough just the way you are. You are better than good; you're amazing. And if your family can't see that, then fuck ‘em."
Dimly, I heard her mother gasp. Then: "Richard! Did you hear that? Well? Aren't you going to say something?"
I was already bracing for a fight when her father said strongly, "I believe I am."
I felt him step toward me, and I released Meli. In fact, I actually stepped between her and her father. I couldn't help it; it's an orc thing, a need to protect my Mate from potential threats, even if my brain knew logically her father wouldn't hurt her.
My fists were already half-raised before I remembered I couldn't hit a male twice my age and half my size. Especially not one Meli loved.
Behind me, I felt Meli's hands press against my back. I could smell her fear, and although I knew it was fear I was going to fight her father, it still made me ache.
Damn this Heat. Damn the Kteer.
Biology was making me fucking stupid.
But her father didn't look like he wanted to fight me. The older man peered up at me with curiosity. It was a look I recognized, because most of the time it was how I looked at the world around me: How can I break this down to understand it better?
He began oddly. "Cairo, thank you for fixing the little things around my daughter's shop."
"Richard!" came his wife's irritated huff, clearly expecting him to what? Hit me?
My scowl slowly faded. "You're…welcome?"
"I saw your work, Cairo." He nodded to himself. "You do good work."
Meli edged around me. "Daddy, I told you. He doesn't need a doctorate or a fancy job to be a good engineer."
The older man smiled, and when he did, he looked an awful lot like his daughter. "You're right. Logically, I knew this, but all I could think of when you introduced me to him, was that no man was going to be good enough for my baby, no matter what his job was."
As Meli made a little gasp, I stared down at her father.
I could…I could understand this.
I could understand it in a way that surprised me.
If I had a daughter as incredible as Meli—smart, funny, beautiful, driven, successful—I don't think there'd be a male out there good enough for her.
The older man held out his hand, and slowly, hesitantly, I took it, cradling it to ensure I didn't hurt him. My blood was thrumming, and my Kteer pulsed in frustration, and I had not a single clue as to why I was feeling whatever the fuck I was feeling. But I knew this male meant me no harm, and I couldn't hurt him either.
He dropped my hand and cleared his throat. "Do you really care for my daughter?"
"No."
Meli and her father had the same response: immediate gasps. But shaking my head, I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and pulled her up against me, still speaking to the other man. "This isn't care for. It's not that simple. Meli is mine. Forever." My Mate. "And I am hers."
"Cairo," came her hesitant question. "Are you saying you love me too?"
"He didn't even tell her that?" her mother hissed from far away.
But I felt my lips twitching as I looked down at Meli. "Love? Cupcake, this goes deeper than that. This is a knowing. I wake up in the morning and I can feel your heartbeat, wherever you are. You are in my soul, and mine belongs to you."
On my other side, I heard her sister sigh. "That is…beautiful."
Meli still seemed confused though. My grin grew as I tipped my forehead to rest against hers, my arm holding her close. Where she belonged.
"You are mine, cupcake. I love you, yes. But…we are Mated. I've admired you—and your baking—for years, but it wasn't until you moved in with me that my Kteer decided to let me know the truth. You are my Mate, and I am yours."
Her lips parted on a breathy little oh, and my heart leapt that she understood what I was telling her.
"Well?" her mother barked harshly. "Does he love her or not?"
"I think…" Richard sounded almost amused. "I've done quite a lot of research on orcish customs in the last few days, and I think this means, in Cairo's mind at least, they're already married."
Meli's eyes widened, and she pulled back from me, but just enough that she could meet my gaze without going cross-eyed. "Is that true?"
"Please, Meli," I whispered. "Forever?"
Her grin grew slowly. "I love you, Cairo."
"And I love you, Meli. You are my heart. I don't ever want to have to go without you again, and I will spend the rest of my life making certain you know exactly how deserving you are of everything. Everything I can give you, every bit of joy I can bring you. From now on, it is my purpose in this life to make you happy. Any way that means. Even if I have to leave you to bring you that happiness—"
She shut up my babbling by surging up on her toes and wrapping her arms around my neck, her lips finding mine. My Kteer exulted, which sounds impossible, but I swear it was true. Wrapping my arms around her, I pulled Meli against my chest—against my heart—and loved her with every piece of my soul.
When the kiss was over, she was breathing as heavily as I was.
"I love you," I whispered, although even that didn't seem enough to describe the way my heart beat only for her. "You are my everything."
"I love you too, Cairo. Mate."
And in the next inhale, I realized I felt…at peace. Meli was in my arms, and I wasn't full of rage or itchy confusion or even the Heat. This was right. This was where we were supposed to be.
My Kteer was at peace, and so was I.
Her father's throat clearing finally pulled us both back to the Eastshore beach. I had to blink a few times as I slowly released Meli, allowing her to stand on her own feet and face her family.
With me by her side.
Her sister was beaming, although her fiancé stood a little behind her, skinny arms crossed over his chest and a scowl on his face. Meli's mother just seemed shocked. And Meli's dad was reaching for her hand.
"Baby, I am so sorry if my words or actions ever made you feel like I didn't respect the life you've built here. You are driven and smart and don't need to push yourself for any more than the happiness you've found right here." He was smiling, while his wife just seemed confused. "You are good enough, Melinda. No, as Cairo said, you're amazing, and I'm so proud of you."
With a little sob, Meli threw herself into her father's arms for a big hug. I hated releasing her, but this was what she needed. Sniffing, she pulled back and smiled at me.
Yes, those were the words she needed to hear. Not just from me, but from her family.
This man… I eyed her father. I suppose I could get used to sharing her affections with another male.
Smiling, he held out his hand to me for another shake, as Meli latched onto my side. This time I squeezed, and he squeezed back.
"I will be forever grateful to you, young ma—orc, for seeing just how special Meli really is, and making her feel that way. Welcome to the family, son."